Revision as of 04:13, 4 June 2014

Volume 1 cover artwork (VIZ Media edition)

Magical Pokémon Journey (Japanese: ポケットモンスター ＰｉＰｉＰｉ★アドベンチャーPocket Monsters PiPiPi ★ Adventures) is a ten-volume shōjomanga series by mangaka Yumi Tsukirino. It was serialized in the shōjo magazine Ciao and then published in collected volumes by Shogakukan in Japan.

The story centers around a girl named Hazel who develops a crush on Almond, a Pokémon Trainer from whom she is constantly rebuffed. To receive a love potion from a scientist named Grandpa and thus gain Almond's affection, Hazel agrees to catch Pokémon for his research.

This series chronicles Hazel's attempts to make Almond like her, as well as her friendship with several Pokémon she meets — mainly Pikachu, Clefairy, and Jigglypuff (Pikachu, Pippi, and Purin, for whom the series was named) — and her rivalry with Grandpa's granddaughter, Coconut. Gradually, the focus of the series shifts away from collecting Pokémon and more to the relationship between Hazel and Almond, as well as the relationships between other human characters, between Pokémon, and the friendships of both humans and Pokémon.

Contents

English translations

In North America, the first forty-three chapters of the manga were published in monthly issues of two to three chapters each by VIZ Media. These chapters were later re-released into seven collected volumes. VIZ Media's translation of Magical Pokémon Journey was printed in a left-to-right format with reversed artwork, as this was how manga was typically localized to Western countries at the time of its release. VIZ Media's translation of Magical Pokémon Journey was available in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland and South Africa; it is currently out of print.

Chuang Yi has also released a translation of the series, continuing to the end of volume ten, past where VIZ Media ended their translation. Unlike VIZ Media's translation, Chuang Yi's version of Magical Pokémon Journey is still available in print. Like VIZ Media's, Chuang Yi's translation is in a left-to-right format with reversed artwork. Chuang Yi's translation of Magical Pokémon Journey is rare but can be available in Singapore, Malaysia, India, the Philippines, Australia and New Zealand.

International translations

In the Greater China region, Magical Pokémon Journey was translated to both Traditional Mandarin as 皮卡丘大冒險:我愛PiPiPi and to Cantonese as PiPiPi寵物小精靈大追逐 by Da Ran Culture. The simplified Chinese version was translated by Yuanfang Publishing House and was based on the Cantonese version.

Magical Pokémon Journey were translated into European French by Glénat under the title Pikachu Adventures!. Only the first five volumes were translated. This translation was based on the original Japanese version, however, the artwork was still printed in reverse from the original for publication in France.

In Indonesia, two different editions of Magical Pokémon Journey were released. The first edition was published by m&c! with the title Pokémon PiPiPi Adventure. It is based directly on the Japanese version. Another translation was released by a different publisher, Panda Books. The Panda Books edition was based on Chuang Yi's English translation and was released under the Indonesian title Petualangan Ajaib Pokémon.

Magical Pokémon Journey (Il magico viaggio dei Pokémon) was translated into Italian by Planet Manga, a subsidiary of Panini Comics. Only the first two monthly issues were translated into Italian, based on VIZ Media's first edition.

Magical Pokémon Journey was also translated into Latin American Spanish by Toukan Manga. This release is a direct translation of VIZ Media's version, using the same English title "Magical Pokémon Journey" and with all artwork printed in reverse from the original Japanese version.

In Thailand, Magical Pokémon Journey has been translated to Thai with the title 'โปเกมอน ผจญภัย. All ten volumes have been translated into Thai.

Trivia

Most of the human characters in Magical Pokémon Journey have names based on nuts. Hazel's name is likely based on a hazelnut. Almond, Peanut, Cashew, Pistachio, and Walnut all have nut-related names, and although Coconut's name is not an actual nut, it is still a reference to the theme of nut-based names in this manga series.

Apricot and Plum also have similar names, as they are both based on pitted fruits.